The Cusp of Initiation

I don’t have the normal kind of altar per se. Rather, I am deeply involved with the process of making fine art, primarily via oil painting. Therefore, my “altar” consists of a large easel, which can hold a canvas up to about 8 ft. tall. And there is usually a painting that I am working on mounted on the easel. Also, I have nearby a large stone bowl in which I burn incense, as well as paintings propped up everywhere.

The practice of painting is very much meditation to me. Looking at the piece that I shall work on, choosing the oil color to paint with, mixing the paint with the mediums (linseed oil and turpentine), choosing the brush and applying the paint to the brush, and preparing myself to paint. These are all as deeply sacred to me as unrolling a sutra.

When I paint, the truth is somehow transformed into light and color, brush strokes, textures, expression. Into luminous emptiness I caste my tools, and in the wisdom of their reflection, I am left with the ever-present beingness of the joy in bringing the brush to canvas. Letting emptiness become life in the emanation of strokes and colors and time. I am very fortunate to know in my work this way. Such is my “altar”.